MinuteClinic and Henry Ford Health System are teaming up to improve access to care in the metropolitan Detroit area. MinuteClinic, the retail health care division of CVS Caremark, has 10 walk-in clinics inside select CVS/pharmacy stores in Southeast Michigan that are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who can treat common illnesses and offer wellness and prevention services.

The new affiliation will connect Henry Ford physicians, as on-call medical directors, to the 10 Southeast Michigan locations of MinuteClinic. In addition, MinuteClinic and Henry Ford will collaborate to educate patients and help them to more effectively manage chronic diseases. Henry Ford physicians will accept patients who need a level of care that is not provided at MinuteClinic.

Through the initiative, Henry Ford is looking to increase its capacity to serve patients in the community, according to Mark Kelley, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Henry Ford Health System, and CEO of the Henry Ford Medical Group. “We will be expanding our ability to provide appropriate care at the appropriate place. Henry Ford doctors will consult with the on-site practitioners as needed. If people treated at a MinuteClinic do not have a primary care doctor for follow-up care, they will be given a list of local doctors, including Henry Ford physicians, from which to choose."

Andrew Sussman, MD, president of MinuteClinic and senior vice president/associate chief medical officer of CVS Caremark said he believes that Henry Ford Health System “has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to improving the health and well-being of a diverse community of patients. Our team of nurse practitioners looks forward to collaborating with Henry Ford’s physicians to develop a clinical care network that meets the growing health care needs in the Detroit metro area,” he said in a statement.

MinuteClinic and Henry Ford will develop a plan to provide clinical data integration to streamline communication for each person’s care. With patient permission, MinuteClinic will share medical histories and visit summaries with other Henry Ford locations in Southeast Michigan. And MinuteClinic will continue its standard practice of sending visit summaries to the patient’s primary care doctor, usually within 24 hours.

This affiliation will not create a financial relationship between MinuteClinic and HFHS. Medical directors will be paid for their services directly by MinuteClinic.